Red Wolf
by Yuko Hakubi
Summary: She was called the Red Wolf, the sister of Battousai, and wife of Mibu's Wolf. Covered in blood and sin, she had an unnatural beauty about her...DISCONTINUED. I am NOT picking this back up. I'm not in the fandom any more, sorry.
1. Default Chapter

**The Female Shinsengumi**

**By Female Sesshoumaru**

Kyoto, 7 years before the Revolution

The forest surrounded them in a choking darkness, seeming to have no way out. A red haired, violet-eyed boy of about 7 clung to a red-haired, green-eyed girl of about 9, and both were terrified.

A group of dirty bandits surrounded them in a circle as the moon peeked through the trees, weapons drawn and their eyes shining with bloodlust. They didn't seem to care that their victims were young children, just that they were living; breathing creatures they could inflict pain upon.

"Onee-chan, I'm scared!" The little boy wailed, clinging more tightly to his sister.

"Hush, Shinta." The girl said, even as the thieves' circle grew tighter around them with each second that passed.

A twig snapped somewhere in the brush behind them, and one of the thieves went flying into a tree with a deep cut across his throat, blood spilling forth from the wound to stain the front of his dirty gi. Shinta whimpered, burying his face in his hands. The culprit concerned the bandits more than the children, and they saw a brown-haired man with a red-collared white cape.

"Are you so cowardly that you would attack defenseless children?" He asked, his hand on the smooth wooden hilt of his katana.

"So what if we are? It's not any of your concern! Now back off or you'll be the one to lose your life!" The leader threatened, drawing a dagger.

The man lay on the ground, his face forever etched into an expression of shock as blood flowed from the wound in his chest.

The samurai glared. "I will not allow you to shed the blood of innocents. They are merely children."

"W-Who are you?" One of the remaining thugs questioned, the whites of his eyes showing in his terror.

The remaining bandits fell before they could cry out, their blood flowing from their lifeless bodies to be absorbed by the thirsty ground.

"The last name you'll ever know. Seijurou Hiko." The samurai sheathed his katana and turned to the children, taking a few steps towards them.

The girl hissed at him and pulled a dagger out of her ragged green gi, pushing her brother behind her like a tiger protecting her young. That hiss just wasn't human. Hiko knelt in front of the two children, and touched the girl's forehead, stroking her hair almost like one would pet a dog. She seemed to calm down a bit.

A single drop hit Hiko's nose, and he looked up. The full moon, which had been out a few seconds ago, had been shadowed once more by large storm clouds, which were now shedding their tears upon the earth. "Damn."

He picked Shinta up, holding him in one arm and covering him with his cloak. The rain began to turn from light sprinkling to a steady drizzle, and he held out his hand to the girl. "Come with me."

"How do I know I can trust you?" She questioned, extremely untrusting for someone so young.

"Do you have another choice? Or would you rather I leave you and your sibling here in the rain all night to get sick and die?" He questioned.

The girl glared. "Fine." She put her dagger back in its sheath, and took the offered hand.

Hiko heard a soft sigh and felt Shinta curl up against him, falling asleep.

"Get under my cloak, kid. I don't got all day." Hiko tugged the girl underneath his cloak so that she had the freedom to walk, yet was protected from the rain.

He sighed softly, muttering under his breath. "Why must I always play the hero?"

Next Morning

The girl woke up in a very warm, very large futon. The source of the warmth was right next to her, and she curled up against it, unaware that it was Hiko.

The master of the Hiten Mitsurugi arched an eyebrow. "Hey kid, get up. If you want food, you have to wake up."

She rubbed her eyes clear of the sleep that lingered there with a dirty hand, blinking to adjust her eyes to the light. "Oro? Where's Shinta?"

Hiko rolled his eyes and pointed to the red haired ball curled up at his feet. "Sleeping at my feet like some faithful dog. Does he always do that?"

"He goes for the warmest spot he can find." She replied.

Hiko sat up, tossing his blanket over the still-sleeping boy. "Where's your family kid? Shouldn't you have been with them instead of getting chased by a group of bloodthirsty bandits?"

The girl sat on the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "I don't know where they are. Someone tried to attack 'tousan and 'nee-chan, and 'nee-chan pushed Shinta and I away so that we wouldn't get hurt. I was trying to look for them."

"So tell me kid, what's your name?" Hiko stretched and grabbed his boots, pulling them on to protect his feet from the cool morning air whisping across the floor of his hut.

"Himura." She said softly.

"You surely have another name. Himura isn't a proper name for a girl." Hiko said.

"I don't have a proper name." She murmured, feeling ashamed.

"Then tell me why he does." Hiko gestured at Shinta, whom was still sleeping soundly at the end of Hiko's futon...snoring softly.

"Because 'nee-chan gave him one. She promised to give me one when we reached China. 'Kaasan didn't know if I would survive the famine...so she just called me by our surname. But 'Kaasan died two years ago of the terrible sickness." Himura replied, tears threatening to spill from her green eyes.

"Hey, no crying. I have a proposition for you. The longer you and your brother stay here and eat my food, the longer you study my sword style." He knelt down in front of Himura, who rubbed furiously at her eyes.

"...Okay." Himura said, looking up at her new master.

"Get your brother up. I can't have my students looking like street rats." Hiko pulled Himura roughly to her feet and gave her a shove towards Shinta.

Kyoto, marketplace

"Ah, Hiko-san!" A female voice called out. "What brings you here?"

Hiko grunted something that sounded like hello to the strange, but pretty little woman that approached him. The stranger's eyes widened when she caught sight of Himura and Shinta.

"And just who are these two adorable children?" The woman questioned, kneeling in front of Shinta, who clung to Hiko's leg in fear.

"Cut the bullshit, Sakura. I need some new clothes for these children now." Hiko snapped.

Sakura noticed Himura's state of dress and gasped in horror, grabbing both of the dirty, ragged children by a hand. "Oh my. You poor, poor children. Come with me, come with me."

Himura looked pleadingly at her new master, who nodded and followed Sakura into the little clothing shop that she owned. A little boy ran up to Sakura, no older than Himura at very most.

He saw Hiko and smiled. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Hiko-san!"

"Ohayou, Kazuki." Hiko replied gruffly.

Sakura bustled back up to Hiko, pointing to the children. "Their names? I need to know their names or I'll just end up confusing them."

Hiko inwardly groaned, mentally kicking himself. He should have known that Sakura would ask that question. He sighed, pointing to Shinta. "His name is Kenshin. And the girl's name is---" Hiko fumbled, almost ready to say Sakura, but he refrained from doing so, and said the first name that came to mind. "Eimi."

Sakura did not notice Hiko's uneasiness, (she was a bit on the ditzy side) and bustled back to "Kenshin" and "Eimi", measuring the boy for a hakama and gi, the girl for a kimono.

Hiko realized what Sakura was doing when she pulled a green silk kimono off of a shelf. "Eimi doesn't need a kimono, Sakura. Eimi needs a gi and hakama, just like Kenshin."

"But Hiko-san," Sakura protested, "A little girl can't grow up to be a tomboy. She needs a kimono!"

"A student of the Hiten Mitsurugi doesn't need a kimono. How the hell do you expect her to practice katas?" Hiko argued. He left shortly after to run an errand.

An hour later, a very annoyed Hiko returned to Sakura's shop and left with Himura and Shinta in tow, remembering many reasons why he didn't come into town often. When they were near Hiko's hut, Shinta could hold back his question no more.

"Hiko-sensei, why did you lie to Sakura-san about our names?" Shinta questioned.

"Those are your names now. Kenshin is too weak of a name for a boy who will become a swordsman, and just Himura isn't a proper name for a female samurai." Hiko replied.

Himura, who held Hiko's hand, tested her new name. "Himura Eimi..." She whispered, smiling. "I have a name. A real name." She looked up at Hiko and smiled. "Hiko-sensei, thank you."

Hiko said nothing, as if he didn't care. Once on his land, Hiko withdrew something from within his cloak wrapped in cloth.

"Hiko-sensei, whatcha got?" Shinta, err, Kenshin, questioned as his master knelt on the ground and unwrapped his parcel.

He pulled out a full-length katana and held it up to Kenshin. The sword was almost as big as he was tall! Hiko sighed and pulled out the wakizashi that went with the katana. This was more his size---at least until he grew bigger. "Here. This is what you will train with."

Kenshin looked terrified. "But Hiko-sensei, it's dangerous!"

"It won't do you any good to pick up a bokken and swing it around like a baka. You don't get the proper feel of a blade that way." Hiko replied, handing the other wakizashi in the cloth parcel to Eimi.

Six Years later, at the beginning of the Bakumatsu

Eimi looked around for her master, ready to finish her training for the day. She found him by his kiln, passed out and reeking of sake. She wrinkled her nose and kicked her master as hard as she could in the ribs. "Hiko, you drunken ass!" She snapped, turning away. "No more...I'm outta here! I'm sick of finding you in a drunken stupor in front of your kiln!"

Kenshin noticed his sister turning to leave. "Onee-chan?" He called, but she paid him no heed, merely continuing to walk away from him.

Eimi walked until it was nearly dusk, finding a small stream she knew was never visited because of the thick, undisturbed foliage surrounding it. She grabbed the end of her long red ponytail, which came to her hips, and tugged at it until it was taught, and then, taking a small tanto hidden in her gi sleeve, hacked it off at her neck. Not the neatest job in history, but it would have to do. She looked almost exactly like a boy, except for her upper body.

She ripped off her gi and undershirt, with only the linen strips wrapped about her torso covering her. She knelt and ripped the undershirt into small strips, rebinding her breasts. You couldn't mistake her for a girl unless you really tried, and she pulled her green gi back on, making sure it was closed. With that, she headed for the richer side of Kyoto, knowing that that would be the best place to find a job as an assassin or bodyguard.

Takagi Tsuru looked out into the driving rain, her chin resting on a slender hand. She sighed.

"Tsuru-chan, close that window. You'll catch your death, and I am quite sure there is nothing out in that storm." A male voice said.

Tsuru saw a shadowy figure approaching the house. "Tousan, there's someone out there!" She cried.

Kojuurou snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, Tsuru-chan. Only a madman would be out there in this---there is someone out there! Grab a blanket! Quickly!" He ran towards the front of the house.

Eimi could walk no longer. She had just reached the largest mansion in the neighborhood, and the rain had worn her out. She tripped and waited to become acquainted with the ground, but she found herself caught by a pair of warm hands. A blanket was wrapped tightly around her, and she was set down in front of a fire.

"Young man, what on Earth possessed you to go out in the driving rain like that? Are you mad?" Kojuurou questioned.

"One, I'm not a boy. Two, it wasn't raining when I started out, and three, as to whether I'm mad or not is a matter of opinion." Eimi replied.


	2. Red Wolf

Red Wolf- Chapter Two: The Emerging of the Red Wolf

Author: Hakubi

(Whoops, forgot to do this last time!)

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN RUROUNI KENSHIN OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM THE SHOW! I ONLY OWN THE CHARACTERS I HAVE CREATED!

This is so sad! I have gotten only a single review for this new version, and it's better than the old one! wails Why? I sent email to the ppl who reviewed it---and none of them read it…yet. Oh well…maybe I could get some more feedback on this chapter? Pretty please? I'll give all the nice people who read and review some plushies for all their hard work!

kaoru-ken: I'm glad you liked it. I hope you like this chappie too!

"So tell me again why you were out in that terrible storm?" Takagi Kojuurou looked down over the rims of his western-style glasses at the shivering young woman with red hair and vibrant emerald eyes.

"I had no choice. I won't put up with it any more." Her white hand, calloused and slender, fisted in the thick blanket she had been given.

The knuckles, which were red with dried blood, had already been injured when she had used her hand to catch herself as she had hit the wood of the engawa, and were starting to drip again at the extra force that had been placed upon them.

"May I ask what it is that you refuse to put up with, child?" Kojuurou took the box of bandages and bowl that his daughter Tsuru handed him, shooing her out of the room.

He took the girl's hand and sponged the blood from her knuckles, staining the clear purity of the water with wine-red fluid. He twined the white linen bandage through her fingers, over her palm and the back of her hand and back again until he was satisfied that no contaminated air could seep in and infect the wound.

"…Thank you." Eimi examined the dressing for a moment, then her hand slid beneath the blanket once more. She seemed more distant now than fiery, and for a single second, Kojuurou swore that he saw pain flickering like a dying flame in her emerald eyes.

"You're more than welcome. Only a heartless man would leave someone to catch their death in a storm." Kojuurou noticed her stiffen.

"The rain has stopped. I thank you for your kindness, Takagi-san, but I am afraid I must leave. I don't wish to impose on you." Eimi stood, allowing the blanket to slide to the floor and pool around her bare feet.

"Nonsense. I insist that you stay here. You are a ronin, no?" He paused, waiting for the girl to ask him what he meant. "And ronin, who have no masters, look for work. To put it quite bluntly, miss, I am offering you a job in my house, under the name Takagi Tokio."

A corner of Eimi's mouth lifted at a crooked angle to form a smirk. "Why Takagi Tokio?"

"It makes much more sense that I would hire someone believed to be my own daughter as a samurai than some girl I hardly know, would it not?"

"I accept…Tousan." Eimi picked up the blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders once more before sitting down. "By the way…my name is Himura Eimi. I am the first pupil of Seijuurou Hiko the XIII."

"Seijuurou…sou ka." Kojuurou rested his hand on his chin for a moment, his glasses sliding down his nose. "If I may inquire once again, Eimi-chan…do you know why your master gave you the name that he did?"

"I don't. All I knew when I accepted it was that I had a real name…that I was no longer someone who could die and no one would care." Eimi said softly.

"Eimi…was the name of my wife. She was Seijuurou-san's dearest friend…and he despised me for taking her away from him. He hates me because my wife died in her second childbirth…twins. A boy, named Seijuurou after his mother's best friend…and Tsuru, whom you saw a few minutes ago." Kojuurou said. "Our first child was…a stillborn daughter called Tokio."

"So I was just a replacement for his friend who married of her own free will?" Eimi's injured hand fisted once more in the blanket.

"I do not believe that Seijuurou would do that…although I believe that if he gave you the name of his best friend, he cares deeply for you." Kojuurou said.

"Aa…" Eimi's tone turned sarcastic. "Drinking until he passed out is really caring deeply for me. All he ever cared about was avoiding that ex-whore Sakura and trying to keep his son out of his life."

"There is something that you must know about Sakura. She was his wife…and had an accident after Kazuki was born. The serious woman disappeared, and left a slow-thinking shell behind. Hiko discovered what had happened while he was traveling under his damiyo, and was so distraught that he never returned. Sakura had no choice but to become a geisha to support herself and Kazuki." Kojuurou sounded sadder than Eimi had thought any man ever could.

"I don't care about my master's past. I only want to look ahead, at the future of this country my father protected until the day he died." Eimi's red hair slipped down over her shoulders, and Kojuurou saw why Hiko had called her Eimi.

She was full of fire, just like his wife…full of the flames of life and death.

And it would burn in her eyes until the day she died.

--Three days later --

Eimi disliked the stares that the other samurai employed by Kojuurou gave her. They were of different variety, from obvious lust to disdain at a female samurai. Most disturbing to her, however, was the look that she was receiving from a dark-haired, bronze-skinned samurai.

"Have you got a problem, buddy? I'll be willing to take you on if you have a problem with a female samurai." Eimi lifted the smooth wooden shinai from its resting place on her shoulder, pointing it at him.

"Strange, that though you've run errands for my father countless times, you fail to recognize me." The man smirked, shaking his head.

"I'm not in the mood, Kazuki. Fuck off." Eimi snapped.

"Is that an invitation?" Kazuki quested.

"Try it and I will make it so that you can never have children, creep." Eimi told him.

"Tokio, enough." Kojuurou gave his "daughter" a reprimanding look, and she stepped up to him, grumbling under her breath.

Kazuki raised an eyebrow. _Tokio, huh? Strange how many names you seem to have, Eimi…I wonder what my father would say if he knew about your deception?_

"Pardon my rudeness, Kojuurou-sama. I did not realize that Tokio-san was in your employment." Kazuki smirked, bowing low at the waist.

"Enough pleasantries. I am not unawares to the looks that you have been giving my daughter, and so, the man who can prove to me that my daughter is not as good a samurai as any man can have Tsuru as their wife." Kojuurou told them.

Takagi Seijuurou took a step back at his father's words. There was no way in hell that he would let an uneven match take his twin's innocence from her.

"Kojuurou-sama, may I be allowed to try my hand against Tokio-san? I don't believe that I can beat her, but I do think I can put up a decent fight against her." Kazuki lifted his own shinai from his shoulder, tugging at his obi and tucking the wooden blade against his narrow hip.

"Go ahead." Kojuurou sat back, holding behind him a carefully crafted blade meant for Eimi should she prove herself against at least two of his men.

Eimi saw what Kazuki was hinting at, and tucked her shinai in her obi. She slid her right foot back a few inches to bring it out of line with her shoulders, and bent her left knee so that the line of her shoulders pointed diagonally towards the wood of the dojo floor. Her left hand, the one that had been injured, rested casually on the practice blade, her right hand hovering just above the hilt.

_Remember, Eimi, the will to live is absolutely essential. Even in a mock battle, should you forget this you will die! _

Hiko's words echoed loudly, almost mockingly, in her mind, and Eimi bent her hips, using the movement of her body to clear her head.

A split second later, the two shinai met in an almighty crack of wood on wood, neither combatant losing ground.

Time seemed to stop as a hairline crack violated the smooth wood of Kazuki's shinai, followed quickly by its fellows. The practice blade shattered all the way down to the hilt, leaving its owner with nothing but a broken stump.

"Impossible! No woman could be that strong! There must be a metal rod in that shinai!" One of Kojuurou's men, a Chinese man called Kang, opposed.

"Is there, Kang-san? I will let you have my shinai. Break it if you wish; it matters not to me. There is not a metal bar in that wood." Eimi tossed the practice blade to the foreigner, who caught it and snapped it over his knee.

His skin turned from dark tan to moon-white as blood drained from his face. "J-Jus t what the hell are you?"

"A ronin, Kang-san…a former ronin who ran away from her heartless master." Eimi replied.

"No woman is that strong. You're not a human…you're nothing but a vile demon!" Kang's brother Xiu screeched, drawing a tanto from his sleeve and lunging at the girl.

She sidestepped the tiny dagger, bringing her foot down on Xiu's wrist as he hit ground. She grabbed a handful of his hair, pulling his neck back just far enough to hurt. "I am no demon. That is, unless you perceive me as such, Xiu-san…"

"Xiu, Kang, enough of this foolishness. I would expect better of two men from such a noble family of China." Kojuurou stood, seeming more formidable to all, small man that he was.

"Forgive us, Takagi-sama. We meant no harm." Kang bowed low to the floor.

"Tokio, release Xiu, onegai."

Eimi relinquished her hold on the man's hair, and he fell with a soft thump to the floor. "Next time he pulls something like that, he's mine."

She stepped away, bare feet making no noise on the floor she padded across. Lustful glances were no longer cast in her direction, and fear of what could happen if the woman wielded a real blade settled as an unwanted shadow over the dojo.

"Master Kojuurou, may I try? Only I would like to see how I fare against Tokio-san when she is holding a real blade." A male voice slid through the air like water slips through the thinnest silk, and a lone drop of ice ran through her spine.

"Usankusai, are you sure that it be wise? Ninja and samurai arts are different." Kojuurou pointed out.

"I accept your challenge, Usankusai-san. This should be interesting." Eimi walked over to Kojuurou, who reluctantly gave her the special blade.

A seemingly normal samurai sword, although slightly longer, with a carefully wrapped handle with an underlying blue silk base layer against the steel hilt of the blade. Sharpened to a diamond point, the blade would cut anything and everything that its master called it to. Eimi tested the weight, and it felt as though it had been made especially to fit her hand, right down to the grooves that adjusted perfectly to her fingers.

Eimi allowed a smirk to form on her pale lips, and tucked the sword against her hip. "Shall we begin?"

"First blood wins?" Usankusai asked.

She nodded, and stepped back, taking the same stance she had when opposing Kazuki. Kojuurou removed a coin from his wallet, holding his hand out above the floor. His fingers opened, and the coin began its descent towards the floor.

Two blurs raced across the floor, and there was a soft clinking of blades. Usankusai knelt on the floor, as did Eimi, although opposite from him. His dark sleeve separated along the seam, and Eimi's gi split down the line of her spine to her waist, the sleeves sliding halfway down her arms to expose the strips of white linen covering her breasts and torso.

Seijuurou gulped as Eimi's gi split, and he felt blood rushing to burn his pale cheeks. This woman was beautiful. Absolutely drop-dead beautiful.

He knew that this girl wasn't Tokio.

Eimi stood, turning to face her opponent. She didn't seem to care that she was practically nude from waist up; living with Hiko for eight years wouldn't allow her the luxury known as modesty.

A grin contorted her features, and she laughed. "Now that's the first time in a long time that I've had an opponent worth fighting."

"Am I, Tokio-san? I think you have merely been deprived of all opponents save your master." Usankusai replied.

"That may be. I would like the honor of fighting you again, Usankusai-san. Perhaps you will win next time." Eimi gestured at the rip in his sleeve.

"I believe it was a draw, Tokio-san. You drew no blood." The ninja stood.

"Or so you believe." Eimi gestured again towards the torn sleeve, and a single cut manifested in the man's alabaster skin, the dark red welling up to make a stain.

It was Usankusai's turn to laugh. "Very sneaky, Tokio-san. Were you not already trained to be forthright, you would make a fine ninja."

_I don't believe I could ever do that. _Eimi said nothing, but in remembering that she was in a room full of men, covered herself as best she could.

"Tokio-chan, take my gi." Seijuurou tugged the worn blue fabric from his body, and held it out with one hand to his "sister."

"Arigatou, Seijuurou." Eimi took the younger man's gi, covering herself.

_Well, they're not laughing at me, so I would guess that I'm right about this guy being Tsuru's twin. They look so much different, and yet their ki is almost the same. _Eimi walked out of the dojo and returned to the main part of the mansion, feeling her cheeks begin to burn.

She slid down against the wall of her new bedroom, resting her head against her knees.

Shinta, I hope you're okay… 

A tear slid down her cheek, and she stared off into oblivion.

--Two months later--

Eimi pulled the blanket up to her chin, feeling stiff and sore. Her mind was clouded, and her head hurt. Not to mention that the room she was currently in was not her bedroom.

What the hell had happened?

She remembered a party for Tsuru and Seijuurou's fifteenth birthdays, and being offered sake. She saw Kazuki, passed out, a male whore approaching her; unsure as to how he was allowed inside. Refusal, and Usankusai coming up behind her.

Chuckling, giggling on her part, and heated kissing---

Oh Kami, what had she done?

No wonder she felt sore, she had allowed Usankusai to take her innocence from her.

Something she should have saved for the one she loved most.

Lips on her neck startled her from her worries, and she could not protest as Usankusai pinned her to the futon, kissing her passionately.

She pushed him up off her. "Stop, Usankusai."

"What's the matter, Tokio-chan? Or should I say…Eimi-chan? That is your real name, isn't it?" His lips moved along her jaw line and down her neck.

"Stop, Usankusai. This is wrong." She pulled away, turning her back to him.

"Don't be such a little hypocrite. If you truly thought what we did last night was wrong, then you would have stopped me, drunk or not." He pulled Eimi back against him, enjoying the warmth of her body next to his, and the feeling of her struggle.

"Gomen nasai…but that is not the way that I was raised. My master was an idiot, but he taught me morals. Now, please, Usankusai, let go." Eimi was more insistent this time.

Usankusai was angry now, and he pinned his formerly innocent lover beneath him, her arms above her head. "I'll only say this once more. Don't be such a little hypocrite. Stop blaming the alcohol for what you allowed me to do. You let me deflower you; I didn't hold a kunai to your throat and rape you like some desperate old man. Don't make me angry, because if you do…" He lowered his head until his lips were next to her ear, purposely letting out a large gust of air to make her shiver. "…Because if you do make me angry…beyond my breaking point, I will not hesitate to kill you, no matter how much I desire you."

"If I remember correctly, I was the one who defeated you two months ago, not vice versa. I have no reason to fear you." Eimi prayed the ninja would buy her bluff and let her loose.

"You beat me with a sword, oh dear, naïve little lover of mine. Without your precious toy knife, you are harmless. You're just an ordinary human, posing no more of a threat to me than your adopted sister." Usankusai purred.

"Tokio, if you are quite finished with your lover's spat, then I suggest that you dress yourself and go outside with the others. I have need of your blade." Kojuurou snapped, rapping sharply on the wooden frame of the paper door.

Eimi somehow managed to steal one of the blankets from the futon, wrap it around herself, and grab her discarded garments on her way to the screen that offered a little privacy.

-Outside-

Kazuki chuckled as Eimi stole her way out of the mansion, a crimson blush staining her pale cheeks. She stood beside him, and he nudged her gently in the ribs. "You do realize that everyone in Kojuurou-san's service knows what you did last night, right, Tokio-chan?"

"Shut up!" Eimi hissed. "I've already gotten enough humiliation from 'Tousan without your input!"

"And the lesson learned is---don't make so much noise when you're with your lover next time, eh?" Kazuki grinned.

"Hentai no baka!" The hilt of Eimi's sword came crashing down upon Kazuki's head, and Eimi no longer cared whether or not if the entire company heard.

Let them call her a whore for all she cared.

"If I can have your attention, please. All of you." Kojuurou glared at the entire company, and Eimi, out of all of them, was the only one to glare back. "Ishin shishi are moving in on the territory of the shogunate."

Eimi rolled her eyes. _So what's new about that? Come on, old man, get to the point already._

"The problem is that they have a new manslayer." Kojuurou's eyes narrowed, and he crossed his hands behind his back. "One they call the Hitokiri…Battousai."

Eimi's heart leapt into her throat. Battousai…the name that came from the mastery of the sword art of battou-jutsu…she had been called that herself, and only one other currently could be called that, that she knew of.

Kenshin. Shinta. Her baby brother.

"'Tousan, what is this hitokiri's name?" She prayed that it wasn't him. Anyone but her little brother whom she had fought so hard to save from the bandits years ago.

"I do not see why it matters to you, Tokio, but his name is Himura Kenshin." Kojuurou replied.

Eimi collapsed, and Seijuurou was the first one to her side. "Tokio-chan! Tokio-chan, are you all right?"

"Kenshin…" Her eyes faded from amber to dark green, half-open and lifeless as she allowed her mind to steal consciousness from her body.

"Who is Kenshin…?" Seijuurou questioned softly, stroking his sister's cheek as she slept fitfully, clasping his hand like a lifeline.

Kazuki sighed. "Kenshin…is her younger brother. Her blood brother. I can't see such a timid little boy as a Hitokiri, no matter how hard I try."

"You've met him, then." Seijuurou said dully.

"…Yeah. Last time I saw him, he was clinging to Tokio like she was the one thing that could keep him safe." Kazuki told him.

"I know that Tokio is not her real name. I only call her that because that is the name I came to know her under." Seijuurou looked at the floor, almost as though he was ready to cry.

"She shares two names. The first, the one that my father gave her; Eimi is the name she shares with your mother. Tokio…" He broke off.

"Tokio is the name that she shares with my dead sister." He pried his hand from Eimi's, as she was finally still. "In a sense, 'Tousan has replaced the original Takagi Tokio. He always said, that had she been healthy, she would be like 'Kaasan was; beautiful and burning with the fire of life. But that disease is what took both of them…"

"You mean the thing the westerners call tuberculosis." Kazuki said.

"Yes."

"It took Eimi-san when the original Tokio was old enough to remember her. And then the real Tokio was married to Yamaguchi Hiroaki of Edo a year ago…and died less than a month after they were married." Kazuki murmured.

"Hiroaki-san was very distraught. He did care for my sister… even if only as a friend. And rumors tell now of him marrying another woman who cared for him after the death of his wife. A woman with fire-red hair and bright blue eyes." A tear slid down Seijuurou's cheek.

"Don't cry, kiddo. Your sister is watching over all of us…she wouldn't want you to be sad." Kazuki stood. "I promised Tokio-chan…that I wouldn't be sad, and that I would never cry, no matter how much I wanted to."

--Eimi's Dream--

"_Shinta! Shinta, don't do this!" Eimi's voice was thundering in her ears, yet it could not be said that the projection of sound was more than a whisper._

"_Nee-saagh!" Kenshin's cry was cut off as a blade went through his heart blood filling his mouth, and he collapsed atop a dark-haired woman who lay in a pool of her own blood. A scar shaped like a Krishitan cross was carved into the flesh of his left cheek, and his violet eyes were hollow._

_A wolfish man stood above him, golden eyes glinting with fire and bloodlust. "He's dead now, Tokio. Come."_

"_SHINTA!!" Eimi reached for her sword, only to find it replaced by the jade pendant she always wore around her neck. She collapsed, unable to move anymore, and cried. "Shinta, you stained your hands with the blood of another. You were just like those men that took 'Tousan and Kanashii from us!"_

"_Don't cry." A hand pulled her to her feet, and Eimi found that she was staring into the eyes of a dark-haired copy of herself._

"_Who are you?"_

"_You know me, Tokio. I am the one that you share your second name with."_

"_You were stillborn…you can't be here."_

_Tokio shook her head. "No, no, Tokio. 'Tousan wasn't yet ready to tell you that I died only a year ago. I called you here to tell you something."_

"_And what would that be?"_

"_The man I showed you…the man holding the blade in that vision. The one who killed your precious Shinta."_

"_What about him?"_

"_That man…Saitou Hajime, is your future. When you carry his child in your belly, do not doubt that he loves you with all that he is."_

"_And why is this important to me, exactly?"_

"_Because if I did not tell you now, you would die. You would kill yourself because you believe that Hajime did not love you. You have a full, long life ahead of you, Tokio, with many children by Hajime."_

"_Children? But I am…"_

"_You may be Usankusai-san's lover at the moment, Tokio, but one day within a few months, you will meet Hajime. Please remember what I have said to you."_

"_Please don't leave me alone. I don't have anyone."_

"_You will meet Hajime in the near future, I promise."_

_She began to fade._

--End Dream--

"Tokio-chan, wake up." Seijuurou shook Eimi lightly, and she opened her eyes.

"What is it, Seijuurou?" Eimi sat up, rubbing her head.

"The mission was postponed until you woke up. 'Tousan won't let you out of it." Seijuurou sighed.

"It's because Hitokiri Battousai is my younger brother. I have to face it sooner or later." She pushed herself to her feet as she said this, reaching for the sword lying next to her futon.

"I still can't believe that he expects you to fight your own brother. Are you honestly going to go through with this?!" Seijuurou grabbed Eimi's wrist.

Amber eyes fixed on him, and Eimi wrenched her wrist from his grasp. "If he loses the will to live in a fight against me, then he will die. He's an Ishin Shishi, and I fight for the shogun. He's not my brother right now; he's a filthy hitokiri who wants to do nothing but shed blood."

"No one likes the roaming bands of hitokiri. But why do you have such a grudge against your brother now that he has become one?" Kazuki pointed out.

"It was a band of rogue hitokiri that took my father and sister away from me. I won't stand for it."

The shoji slammed shut behind her without another word, and she stepped outside.

--Northern Kyoto--

Snow had begun her freezing dance in the air, her partner, Wind, cradling her and guiding her steps. Their affair had begun once more, and would coat the ground in white as temperatures dropped.

Kenshin sighed, drawing his knees up to his chest. His lover and partner, Minami, placed a blanket around him.

"Thinking of your sister again, Kenshin?" Her soft voice did not comfort him; their relationship was purely physical, although he considered her a dear friend.

"I still don't blame her for running out on Hiko. She was so grateful to him, and yet he trampled us down like dogs." Kenshin replied.

"Grateful? How could someone be grateful to a man like Hiko?" Minami, though wise for her age, did not understand.

"Hiko gave her a name. A real name, and she always respected him for it. Demo…then she ran away, without giving a reason why." Kenshin sighed, shaking the light dusting of snow from his hair.

--Takagi Mansion --

Eimi's short strides left an odd trail in the snow, jerking footsteps making it seem like a crippled child had run through the forest.

"So where did Father say that this place was?" Eimi tossed her head and shook the snow from her ponytail, casting a glance back towards Seijuurou.

"It's just ahead. According to our spies, it's a small village that some of the shogun's soldiers lost to the Ishin Shishi, and it's now run by them. Are you sure you still want to go through with this?" Seijuurou asked.

"Don't ask me again, Seijuurou, please. I've made up my mind, and I will go through with this. If we meet Battousai, we meet Battousai; it's as simple as that." Eimi shrugged, then stopped. "Hold up."

"What is it?" Seijuurou crouched behind Eimi, peering over her shoulder at the village at the bottom of the grove.

A man stood there, holding a naked sword and pointing it at a young girl. She was crying, hugging herself and shivering. He was obviously ordering her to do something, and she kept refusing, shaking her head.

After about three seconds, Eimi had had enough, and drew her sword, dashing down the hill at a silent, but dead run.

The silver of the katana glinted above the white purity that was the snow, and then the sword angled down. Cold metal pierced a layer of flesh, then a spine, stopping for a second.

"Only a coward would attack an unarmed girl. Now…die." Eimi's eyes flashed amber, and she pushed the blade through the man's heart, feeling the strong, steady beat grow wild…and steadily weaker as she made her first kill.

"Tokio…" Seijuurou felt his voice leaving his throat, hiding itself somewhere in the air.

The young samurai jerked the sword from the dead man's breast, watching the girl flee in absolute terror. She turned to Seijuurou, eyes swirling emerald and amber. Blood dripped from the sword, and Eimi lifted it to her lips.

Her tongue darted out, seductively lapping the fluid from the blade, dirtying her lips and nose. It was almost like a she-wolf standing over a dead animal, stating that she and she alone had rights to the meat.

For a second, Seijuurou saw the image of a wolf replace Eimi. Slender, with perfectly formed paws, deadly fangs, and fur red as wine. Blood dripped from her muzzle, and she growled.

"Red wolf…"

I hope that this was enjoyable! Please review!


	3. Clash of Wolves' Blades

Red Wolf--Chapter 3: Clash of Wolves' Blades

Author: Hakubi

Disclaimer: Y'all should know this by now. I don't own RK!

Review Responses:

Before I respond to anything, I will say this: Saitou will appear in this chapter! The first bit is the last part of Eimi/Usankusai fluff that I will ever write in this story.

Danne: The language of Rurouni Kenshin was modernized a bit to make it understandable. Thank you for the comment, though, goofball.

**Child-of-draco:** I had every intention of making Tokio out of the ordinary. Where would the fun be if I didn't put my own brand on her? And not only that, I have had this idea for three years, and my ideas of her have shifted a lot in that time.

**Lt.soniablade:** I did wonder why no one created a C2 for Tokio/Saitou fics. Who knows? But then, even if they did, I probably wouldn't know about it 'cuz I'm so lazy!

**Sala:** Will do!

**Dew-Drop Viper:** ((bows)) Yayness! People like my story!

**Gabby(hyatt:** I'm not sure if Tomoe will make an appearance. It's rare enough that I look into Kenshin's mind, let alone that of his wife. But yes, I am trying to make it like the manga in that when it hits the beginning of RK that it will be the 11th year of the Meiji instead of the 10th.

**To all:** Thank you for reading! I am very appreciative of all who take time out of their (sometimes?) busy lives to read this junk that I write because I, in fact, have absolutely no semblance of a social life.

(By the way, the portrayal of Okita that I use in this chapter is borrowed from Peacemaker Kurogane. I love the way he acts in there! And Nagakura too. They're both spinoffs of the Peacemaker versions.)

And I would also like to thank Angrybee for inspiring me on Eimi's lack of a name. Were it not for her character Nakenashi from Hajime and Tokio, I would not have come up with such a wonderful plot line.

"Why the hell did you send us on that mission if you knew so damned well that Kenshin wouldn't be there?" Eimi's voice, while dripping with rage and malice, was soft and hoarse.

"I wanted to test you; to see if you would actually go up against your own brother. If you are truly prepared to fight for the shogunate, you must be able to fight anyone, whether they are lover, friend, or even, as it is in your case, your brother. I knew Battousai was in the north, with his partner, the hitokiri Yayoi. Now enough of your foolishness. Go to bed and get some rest. You have been recruited into the Shinsengumi under their third captain." Kojuurou snapped.

"Fine, Tousan." Eimi spat the last word, and left without bowing.

"Kojuurou-sama, was that really necessary?" Kazuki knelt with his face close to the floor, keeping his eyes diverted from the older man.

"Yes. It was necessary. I have a feeling your father called her Eimi for more than just the fact that she looked like my wife." Kojuurou told him, frowning.

"Rebellious as the first woman who carried her name." Kazuki murmured. "Just as Mother told me."

Eimi practically ripped the shoji from its track as she forced it open, and almost called for a guard upon noticing Usankusai stretched out on their futon. Remembering her encounter after the first night they had spent together, she thought better of it and leaned her swords up against the wall. She flopped down next to him in an ungraceful heap, snuggling up against his side in an indication that she wanted to be held.

He did nothing, and Eimi looked up. "Usankusai?" She shook him. "Usankusai?" His eyes were shut, and his breathing was slow and even. He was asleep.

Eimi pouted. "Lazy ass. How is it that you managed to get out of the mission?"

Finally, Usankusai wrapped his arms around his lover, deeply inhaling the scent of her hair. "It's because I don't have a sibling who's an Ishin Shishi. You do."

"What about your older brother, Makoto? I thought you said he worked for the rebels." Eimi rested her head on Usankusai's chest, tracing odd little patterns on his shirt with her index finger.

"He does. But I bear no love for him, and he bears none for me." The blonde ninja idly ran his fingers through Eimi's hair, the fiery strands sliding like silk through his hand. "…Something's troubling you."

"I've been reassigned."

"What's so bad about that? I'm sure that you'll be able to come back." Usankusai replied.

"I have my doubts. I've been recruited into the Shinsengumi." Eimi told him.

"Which squad? I would hope it's the first; I've heard the captain is rather childish and you could most likely convince him that you need to come back here every once in awhile." He looked down at her.

Eimi shook her head. "Third squad…under Captain Yamaguchi Saitou, the one they call Mibu's Wolf."

His grip suddenly tightened, then slackened as though his bones had become water. He said nothing for the next several minutes, as if pondering something. All of a sudden, he shot Eimi a leering grin, and she found herself pinned to the futon.

"We shall just have to spend this night as best we can, then, won't we?" Usankusai whispered, sending a shiver down Eimi's back.

Just before dawn-

Eimi looked over her shoulder at Usankusai, who slept lightly next to her, then closed her eyes, concentrating.

_Tokio? Tokio, are you there? If you are, please speak to me._

_I'm here, Eimi. What is it that you need?_

Once again, Eimi found herself in the black void that surrounded her when Tokio was present.

_Are you sure that I should be so quick to give Usankusai up when I meet and possibly allow Hajime to fall for me?_

_Usankusai is not the man for you. You are destined to be with Hajime. The thread on your finger proves it. (1)_

_The thread on my finger, huh? If it's tied to Usankusai, I swear I will never forgive you._

_Look at where it leads, Eimi. It doesn't connect to Usankusai._

Tokio picked up the shimmering crimson thread that was looped loosely around Eimi's little finger, and gave it a soft tug, as though searching for the other end. A face appeared at the end of the thread that was trailing off into the darkness; the same face that had appeared in the vision Eimi had received before.

He seems so cold… 

_And Usankusai is any less so? Even should you remain with him, he will betray you. He is like his name; Untrustworthy._

_How would you know?_

_I was in love with him before I was betrothed to Hiroaki. He claimed to have felt the same, but I caught him in an afternoon tryst with one of his many lovers. If you are at all intelligent, Eimi, then you will do what I am pushing towards and willingly go to Hajime._

_And how do you even know this man? Don't tell me you were in love with him too?_

_No. _She laughed, bells tinkling in her voice._ I was never in love with Hajime. The only person I loved after Usankusai was Hiroaki, even if it was only a friendly affection._

_That doesn't clear up how you would know Saitou at all, other than you would have heard of him._

_He is Hiroaki's younger brother. I saw him, and had a vision of you. That's when I knew that we were connected, or would be, through the sharing of a name. You're connected to my mother, too._

Eimi was silent for a moment.

_But…I have no desire to give Usankusai up._

_If you don't…here. This is what will happen. But be warned; this is the last time I will be able to show you your future._

Tokio held out her hands, kneeling to capture some of the darkness in her slender hands. Her eyes drifted shut, and slowly, rhythmically, an image began to form. Usankusai lay in the cool grass, in an unfamiliar place. He was asleep, and his arms were wrapped possessively around something. The image sacrificed some of its focus for a broader view, and showed the object, or person, rather, that Usankusai was cradling. It was a lithe young woman, with pale silver hair covering her like a shroud.

Words were exchanged. Eimi watched the woman's lips move in response to things that Usankusai had said to her, only the previous night.

_Do you see now, Tokio? You cannot deny this; I can only show what will happen._

Shinsengumi Headquarters, Kyoto- Next Morning -

'_It seems strange_,' Nagakura decided, '_that a teenager, a woman at that, should be so blessed with the talents of murder.'_

He chuckled, raising a hand to mask the slip.

"A gaggle." Okita suddenly whispered.

Nagakura raised an eyebrow, glancing over at his dark-haired comrade, whose dark ponytail was waving back and forth, as the man swayed from side to side.

"They're like a gaggle of geese, waiting for their heads to be chopped off." Okita giggled, grinning widely.

"All but that girl, Eimi. She is guarded against an attack." He replied.

'_I would think that, since she knows what she is throwing herself into, she would be more concerned with gaining a sizeable dowry from Kojuurou-san than becoming a member of the Shinsengumi, Tokio.' _Nagakura glanced upwards, where Tokio was resting upside down on a roof beam.

"_She's too stubborn." _Tokio dropped, looping ghostly arms about Nagakura's neck.

'_You may wish to hide yourself before she sees you.'_

_Where would the fun in that be?_

'_Just go. I have no desire to be attacked.'_

_You're no fun, Naga-kun._

"May I ask where Captain Yamaguchi may be, Nagakura-san?" Kojuurou shifted his weight to his left foot; the carefree leer that Okita was currently directing at his person unnerving him.

"He went to retrieve Matsudaira-sama. He should be back shortly." Nagakura replied.

Okita, in a random bout of semi-seriousness, turned his head towards the building. "OH KANASHII-CHAN! COULD YOU PLEASE BRING TEA FOR OUR GUESTS?"

"Hai, Okita-san!" A woman's voice, tinkling with an underlying tone of bells, replied. "Would you like me to bring it outside, or would you rather I serve it in one of the rooms?"

"Outside, if you please." Okita resumed the swaying motion, humming contently to himself as he waited.

'_Is he really supposed to be the Lotus Blade? The one who marks his dead with lotus flowers?' _Eimi readied herself to take a step back, waiting for the man to attack. _'I guess…it would make some sense…after all, this guy is obviously insane.'_

'_He is the Lotus Blade.'_

'_Since when do you appear out of nowhere, Tokio?'_

_Since I feel like it, Eimi._

_That sounded almost unsurprisingly childish, especially coming from you._

_What would you care?_

_Someone's testy today. What'd you do, wake up on the wrong side of the Spirit World?_

_Would you stop with the wisecracks already!_

_Fine. Grumpy._

_You…! You witch!_

_Ooh, I've heard lots worse than that, Tokio-chan! You'll have to do much, **much **worse than that._

_Ooh! You! Fine!_

The spirit crossed her arms and disappeared, but not before blowing a very loud raspberry in Eimi's ear.

_Gross._

The creak of boards under near-silent feet became the final signal that someone was indeed standing on the engawa. "Okita-san, the tea is ready. And, Katsu-chan would like to speak with you when Saitou-san arrives. It's apparently important."

Okita bowed his head with no shame. "She's not pregnant again, is she?"

"You'll have to ask her for yourself, Okita-san. She would not tell me because she knows how your mind works." Kanashii replied.

'_She's pretty mouthy for a servant.' _Eimi glanced offhandedly at the woman.

Red hair, and bright blue…

Eimi swallowed the rising scream before it could leap from her throat, and a calloused hand gripped her sword.

About to speak, Eimi was beaten to it by Kojuurou, who smiled at the woman kneeling next to the two Shinsengumi captains.

"Kanashii-chan, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

"Quite well, Kojuurou-sama. I bore a son to my husband this past winter, and…" For the first time, Kanashii noticed Eimi. "Oh…gods."

"It's been awhile, Kanashii-neechan." Eimi grinned.

"I'm seeing things…" Kanashii closed her eyes, and gripped the tray she had been holding since the beginning of the conversation.

Eimi collapsed. "You and your superstitions, Kanashii-neechan! I didn't die! I was caught by slave traders after Shinta and I were separated from you!"

Suspicions of ghosts were forgotten, and Eimi was enveloped in a hug.

"Kanashii-neechan---air! I need air!" Eimi whimpered.

"---Oh! I'm so sorry!" Kanashii pulled back, and allowed Eimi to stand. "I'm sorry, Hi-"

"It's Eimi now. I haven't gone by our surname in years." Eimi smoothed out her gi.

"Gomen nasai…Eimi-chan. It's just that…it's been so long, and I didn't believe you were still alive." Kanashii recoiled further, and tears welled up beneath her eyelids. "Okita-san, what ever are you laughing at?"

Okita was curled up on the engawa, clutched in the claws of a fit of giggles. Tears streamed down his slender face, and he kicked his feet up in the air like a small child being tickled. "Gomen nasai, Kanashii-chan. I just can't see you with a violent sibling!"

"You absolutely can NOT be the Lotus Blade. You're absolutely insane!" Eimi snapped.

Okita sat up, straightening his posture. "Whether you like it or not, Eimi-san, I am the Lotus Blade."

"Whatever, buddy." Eimi ran her thumb along the hilt of her sword, feeling the groove already forming there from her use of it.

"Such a foul temper for a Himura. It doesn't fit your family, Eimi-san." Okita teased.

"Would you stop with the 'Eimi-san' bullshit! Kami-sama, you're annoying!" Eimi snapped.

The outburst of temper sent Okita into fits of laughter once more, the tears running down his face. At that moment, Eimi could not see why it was that he was laughing at her, nor did she care.

She became more concerned with the fact that another woman had emerged from the cluster of buildings, her eyes dull and witless. A fake smile was plastered on bright pink lips, and dark lashes framed those dull eyes. A small roll of fat surrounded her midriff, evident even through the tightly bound obi.

'_She can't be what I think she is. If she…no, I refuse to believe that Tokio would lie to me.' _Eimi stiffened her back, straightening her spine as she did so.

"Yamaguchi-san has returned!" A young guard called out.

It would have been wonderful to say that Eimi fell in love with Yamaguchi Hajime the second that she saw him in person. But since it was not a fairy tale, such things could not be said. Kojuurou bowed to Matsudaira Katamori as he stepped down from his horse, and everyone in sight of him followed the example.

His rounded glasses slid down his nose, and gravity forced his topknot into a rather strange angle upon his head. "You honor us with your presence, Matsudaira-sama. I am grateful you took the time to test my daughter."

"She will have a mock duel with Captain Yamaguchi. I don't believe it fair to place her against Captain Okita when I have no idea of what her skill level is." Matsudaira replied. "Where is she?"

"I am Takagi Eimi, Matsudaira-sama. I am the one you came for." Eimi drew in a ragged breath. _Please don't say no just because I am a woman._

Dojo, Shinsengumi Headquarters –

"Choose whichever one is to your liking, Eimi-san." Okita told her.

Eimi nodded in acknowledgement, and ran her eyes over the wooden blades hanging upon the wall. She found one similar to her own sword, and tested the weight in her hand before she passed her real blade to Kanashii, satisfied.

"You are ready, Eimi-san?" Kanashii questioned, her eyes pleading with her sister to reconsider.

The only recognition Eimi gave was a slight inclination of her chin, and she tucked the wooden blade close to her hip beneath her obi. Captain Yamaguchi had long since made his own choice, and was standing at the opposite end of the floor.

"I would prefer to have this battle finished by nightfall."

"Forgive me, Captain Yamaguchi." Eimi bowed, giving a slight hint of mockery to her movement, but not enough to be noticed. "I haven't dueled anyone in quite sometime outside of battle."

The man did nothing in response but to hold his bokken out in front of him, ready for seemingly anything that could possibly come his way. Getting into her own stance, Eimi was suddenly curious what it would be like to be held in the arms of Yamaguchi Hajime.

'_His arms are like steel…and most likely comforting.'_ Upon realizing her thought, Eimi was glad that she had the self-control to keep the blood from rising to stain her cheeks. _'Damn you, Tokio!'_

"Begin!" Matsudaira called.

Hajime's POV

The girl was fast, to say the least. At least as fast as Okita; possibly even more so than the Shinsengumi captain, depending on how far she had taken her mastery. But what seemed the most surprising to him was not the nagging fact that she was a woman, but the fact that she was almost eerily similar to one Hitokiri Battousai. Right down to the bright amber which covered over the natural emerald of her eyes.

Her looks were similar, and so were her basic movements, but…

They weren't the same. There was a fluidity in her movements, a certain grace that her male counterpart didn't have.

But that didn't matter. Her final thrust was coming and all he would have to do would be to sidestep it and…

Normal POV

"I win." Eimi held the bokken loosely, the cool wood resting against Hajime's neck in the imitation of a deathblow. _'Did I really win?'_


	4. A Wolf Without Fangs

Red Wolf Chapter 4: A Wolf Without Fangs

By Hakubi

Author's Note: I am SO sorry about the long time between updates. I have been incredibly busy, and gone, and my job is crazy, and there are family problems and Hakubi-chan is stressing herself unnecessarily...but anyways, thank you for the fire being lit under my lazy bum. I definitely need it. I hadn't even checked my account for almost 2 months---but, reviews make the authoress happy, and reviews inspire her to work faster!

Review Responses:

GhostofKenshin: As I said before, I've had my own problems to deal with. But here's your update, so no more complaining, please.

**SirisAnkh**: Thanks! Any comments I can get are very much appreciated.

**steelpheonix**: I know that Eimi being Kenshin's sister goes dangerously close to being Mary-Sue, but I that was the only thing I couldn't overcome. The rest of my fic, however, is as far from normal as I can make it. Tokio being a part of the Shinsengumi is a bit different from the usual mold. And anyway, later on, there's a very interesting twist to her background, I promise.

**Saitouu Ryuuji:** I'm not exactly sure why I listed his name as Yamaguchi in the last chapter. I did some research after I posted and realized my error. And any inconsistency, I apologize for. I was typing this at the end of my school semester right before exams.

_What's wrong, Tokio-chan?_ Tokio hovered above her namesake, her head cocked cutely to one side.

Eimi burrowed beneath the covers of her futon with a soft curse. _'You lied_.'

_About what?_ Tokio drifted towards the ground to take a sitting position. Her feet phased through the tatami.

'_About me being connected to Saitou Hajime-sempai (1), that's what! He's married! Or did you just CONVIENIENTLY forget that minor detail!_' Eimi snapped mentally.

_Ooooooh, you mean Yaso-san. You don't have to worry, he doesn't love her. He only married her because Yusuke-san and Masu-san wanted him to_. Tokio attempted to poke Eimi, but her finger just phased right into the young woman's side.

'_That is the very LEAST of my worries! I will not chase after a married man!_' Eimi's thoughts were so very loud to Tokio; it was a wonder the whole headquarters didn't hear her as clearly as if she were shouting.

_Very minor details, Tokio-chan! I happen to know that Yaso-san is bedding one of the grunts, one Nagumo Hiroshi, when Hajime-kun is gone_. Tokio smirked, her voice taking on a sing-song tone. _And----since she's not physically attractive, your chances at winning his heart become ever so much closer!_

_'Just what in the seven hells are you implying! I do have shame, unlike you, Tokio!' _Eimi glared, and a faint blush rose in her cheeks.

_I'm dead, darling. I don't have use for shame any more. And, by having a husband, I am perfectly aware of what desire is_. Tokio giggled. _And I can tell that you like Hajime-kun_.

_'You're just making excuses so you can be perverted!' _Eimi retorted. _'And I refuse to listen to it any more!'_

There was a rustling of fabric, and Eimi stepped into her sandals as she slipped on the heavy gi that was supposed to act as a coat for the cool nights. In an instant, she was gone.

_TOKIO-CHAN, WHERE ARE YOU GOING! _Tokio wailed.

_'For a walk, away from you.' _Eimi replied.

Sweet silence.

Nothing but the cool night, the koi pond, and the soft buzzing of the cicadas.

And now...the sharp sting in her nose as she ran into someone.

"Itai..." Eimi rubbed her offended nose. "Gomen nasai, I didn't think anyone would be out this late, and I wasn't paying attention..."

"Watch where you're going, Takagi-kohai (2)." Came the grunt.

Eimi glanced up, and a bead of sweat manifested itself on the back of her head. "S-Saitou-sempai! Gomen, gomen...I didn't mean to run into you..."

"Ahou." He returned.

"Don't call me ahou! Call me baka, but don't call me ahou!" Eimi hissed.

"That dismisses the question of where you came from, Takagi-kohai." A smirk played over the man's lips.

Eimi all of a sudden understood why the rumors had called him the 'Mibu no Ookami'. That smirk. That irritating, wolfish, dashing---- 'I hate Tokio!'

She blinked. "My mother was from Tokyo."

"As is obvious. Strange, though. Kanashii-san does not speak the way you do, she speaks as though she comes from Osaka." He replied. There was that smirk again.

"Kanashi-neechan spent much of the past several years in the service of the Takagi family." Eimi insisted, her fist clenching inside her gi. "And they originally come from Osaka, hence the accent."

This man was so irritating! How could someone stand him?

Saitou shook his head. "Perhaps you won't be so bad...for a woman, that is."

"Your petty insults fail to amuse me, Saitou-sempai." Eimi turned back in the direction of her room. "So...if you will pardon me, I would think I would rather find someone with a better sense of humor."

"..."

-Breakfast-

It had been a very long time since Eimi had felt quite so uncomfortable in the presence of men. But all those eyes on her; it was worse than the first day in Kojuurou's dojo. And this time, it was accompanied by Eimi's self-awareness of her appeal and power over men. Thank whatever gods had brought her to Hiko. The sharp tongue he had pressed would somehow keep them away.

Beady black eyes fixed on Eimi as she brought a clump of rice to her mouth, and succeeded in making her extremely uncomfortable.

She swallowed, and looked up. "Is something wrong?"

The owner of the stare, one Saitou Yaso, took a moment before she responded, as though pondering the simple question. "I've just never seen a female samurai before. What was your name again?"

"Himura Eimi." She said, whilst thinking that the woman before her was utterly and completely devoid of any common sense whatsoever. "And you are...Saitou Yaso-san?"

"Hai!" Yaso said with a very girlish giggle. "You're so cute! I think we'll be very good friends, Himura-san!"

'I have a feeling we won't. Not if Tokio is telling me the truth.'

"Eimi-chan, would you mind helping me with this?" Kanashii pointed at the large bushel of rice. "'Katsu-chan is pregnant with Okita-san's second child, and he won't let her lift a finger."

Eimi looked up from the passage she had been copying to practice her handwriting. "Of course, Kanashi-neechan."

A few moments later, the bushel was in the storehouse where it belonged.

"I was surprised yesterday, Eimi-chan. Who was it that taught you to wield a sword like that?" Kanashii asked, seating herself on the edge of the engawa.

"The man who saved my life. Hiko Seijurou. He was...and still is, for that matter, very crude, but he gave me both my life and my name, and I am grateful. And not only did he teach me, but he taught Kenshin as well." Eimi smiled.

"Kenshin…? Who is...Kenshin?" Kanashii asked, worried. "What happened to Shinta-chan?"

"Kenshin is Shinta-chan. Hiko-sensei thought that 'Shinta' was too weak for a boy who was to become a swordsman, so he gave him the name 'Kenshin' instead." Eimi told her.

"A boy with a heart...and one without(3)." Kanashii looked at her hands. "It's so sad...that you were both forced to wield swords to live. 'Kaasan...she wanted you to achieve so much more. She wanted you, Eimi-chan, to become a great lady, with a husband so powerful that even the Emperor himself would be jealous of him. And she wanted Shinta-chan to become a great scholar, so that children for generations to come would be taught about him."

"A great lady...with my tongue?" Eimi chuckled. "I can't imagine such a life. Silks, and tapestries, a fine house, and a fat old husband to sire helpless children on me. I can't imagine anything but what I am now. Nothing but this sword." She patted the blade that rested against her hip.

"Perhaps you will find a husband here, in the Shinsengumi. And even if you don't, I'm sure that Kojuurou-sama will arrange a fine marriage for you. You are his adopted daughter, after all." Kanashii suggested.

Six weeks had passed since Eimi had come to be in the service of the Shinsengumi. Saitou Hajime was the man who seemed to come and go most often of all the captains, as if to avoid his wife at all costs. Yaso, with her husband's absence, eyed her young lover most openly; there was not a single soul in the entire compound that did not know Nagumo Hiroshi had become the consort of Captain Saitou's wife.

Even Saitou himself knew, although it seemed not to bother him in the least.

Things changed on the night that he noticed Himura Eimi as a woman.

A rather large victory had been won over the Ishin Shishi, causing sake to arrive in large quantities as basis for a celebration. Eimi, because of Hiko, declined from touching what she deemed to be a foul drink. Strangely, Saitou shared this philosophy, saying that consuming alcohol of any kind gave him an urge to commit massive genocidal murders.

The two were seated outside on the engawa, away from and ignoring what they had both deemed as sheer idiocy.

"None of them realize it, do they?" Eimi murmured.

"You mean the fact that we will most certainly lose this revolution?" Saitou asked. "No. Not a single one of them has the slightest inkling."

"Since the boy called the Hitokiri Battousai joined them, their spirit has increased a thousandfold." Eimi sighed. "To think...I watched him train from when he was a young child. He must have hated me when I left."

"Your lover, or a childhood friend?"

"Neither. He is my younger brother, Shinta-chan. No...Kenshin, now. After all, Shinta was too weak a name for a boy who was to become a samurai." Eimi told him.

"If our men would show half the spirit that he shows in battle, we would have some chance at winning..." He drifted off.

"They've been brainwashed into believing that the Shogun is all-powerful and cannot possibly fall." Eimi sighed again. "Troops with no spirit is akin to a wolf that has had his fangs ripped out."

"Why do you fight, then?" Saitou asked, his tone mocking. "If you're so sure that we will lose this revolution, why do you continue to support the losing side?"

"Let's just say...I like defending lost causes." She smiled.

Saitou reached out to cuff Eimi over the head. "Baka. This is why women shouldn't be involved in combat. Too much sentiment."

"Are you implying, Captain Saitou, that if you cared about something deeply enough that you would die defending it, you wouldn't be the least bit sentimental?" Eimi rubbed the sore spot on the back of her skull.

Saitou nodded.

"If I may be so bold as to say so, to care about something enough to have the will to die for it is sentiment in itself, Captain." Eimi told him. "So if you're so cold, prove it."

Saitou snorted. "And how would you propose that I go about that, Takagi-kohai?"

He heard her muttering something about the idiocy of men, and then, in an instant of utter senselessness, felt her press her lips to his. She seemed disappointed when he did not show any sign of response, and pulled back. His hand went around her waist, resting on her spine, to keep her close.

"You should be careful what you wish for, Takagi." He leaned forward, claiming her lips and forcing them apart with his tongue.

He had done more than enough to fluster her, he saw, as her cheeks had enough blood flowing through them to give a glow akin to her hair.

"I shouldn't have done, that, Saitou-sempai." She muttered. "You have a wife. You have Yaso-san."

"I may as well still be unmarried. Yaso is far more interested in Nagumo than in me." He smirked. "Although what it is that he sees in her is beyond my comprehension."

"And that doesn't bother you, Saitou...san?" Eimi questioned.

"Not one bit." Saitou said. "Would you be jealous if it did?"

Eimi turned red again. "How dare you suggest such a thing! I hardly know you, how the hell could I be jealous! And of Yaso-san, of all people?"

_Wakey, wakey, Tokio-chan!_ Tokio sang, hovering above said person.

_'Go away, Tokio.'_ Eimi rolled over and snuggled closer to Saitou. _'I'm sleepy...'_

_Well! So much for not chasing a married man..._ She teased.

Eimi waved her hand back and forth in the air, and Tokio huffed. _Fine. I can see where I'm not wanted._

Saitou caught her arm. "What in the world are you doing?"

Eimi looked at him sleepily. "Just shooing away a gnat."

A knock followed shortly after. "Eimi-chan, get up! Captain Saitou is missing, and Captain Okita wants you to go look for him!" Kanashii called.

"He's not missing! I talked with him almost all night; he just went out for a walk about an hour ago!" Eimi replied. "Now let me sleep, pleeeease!"

"Arigatou, Eimi-chan." Kanashii said. "For future reference, don't lie to me, please. I know very well that Saitou-san is in your room. Hiroaki told me this morning, after he spoke with Okita-san."

Notes:

**Sempai:** A term of respect directed at someone who has been in a workplace longer than you, or is higher above you in a business, etc.

**Kohai:** The direct opposite of sempai, it refers to a newcomer in a school or business, etc.

Kenshin/Shinta: I read somewhere a very long time ago that Kenshin meant 'boy without a heart' and Shinta meant 'boy with a heart.' This is the reason that Kanashii made the analogy that she did.


End file.
